The present invention relates generally to a material collection device for collecting particles from a processing device on a road processing, or milling, machine. More particularly, the present invention relates to an improvement to cold milling machines design for cutting asphalt, concrete and other road surface materials.
The current improvement to such machines enhances the removal of the material cut from the processed surface, or road. More specifically, this invention pertains to a shiftable conveyor used to collect road particles milled from a road surface.
It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that cold milling machines have existed for many years. Such machines have specially designed milling drums with righted sections protruding in a spiral pattern radially outwardly from the drum. Cutting tool holders are mounted generally on the righted section and cutting tools are fitted within the cutting tool holders. These machines are designed to travel along a road, highway or other thoroughfare and make a continuous cut (for example, 6 feet in width and 12 inches in depth) of the pavement over which they pass. Machines of this type generally fall in the category of road building or material handling equipment.
Known cold milling machines cut the top layer of the road surface material, chop the material into granular form, and rake the material onto a conveyor so that it can be removed from the site. The road can then be paved with new material, keeping the road surface at the desired height and weight.
It is also known in the industry that the width of the milling drums can vary for specific applications of the milling machines. For example, the milling drums can span substantially the entire width of the milling machines or some portion thereof. Currently, the conventional milling machines have a single opening that directs the milled road particles to a removal system, which is normally a conveyor type system. This opening is normally positioned in the middle of the milling machine with flat surfaces, or plates, on opposite sides of the opening to help direct the milled road particles through the opening. Conventionally, this opening does not vary with the width of the milling drum used to mill the road.
The conventional conveying systems are used to transport the milled particles to a secondary processing area or to a collection area, such as a large truck. Conventionally, it is known to vertically vary the height of the exit end of the conveyor systems to match the desired location of the output of the milled road particles.
It is also known to horizontally vary the entry side of the conveyor around a single pivot point, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,441,361. This single point rotation of the conveyor belt has several drawbacks. For instance the area with which this single-point-rotation-type conveyor system accepts the road milled particles does not increase and is not repositioned using the single pivot point rotation. This single pivot point rotation of the conveyor is not designed to accept milled road particles from different sized cutting drums or from different locations within the milling machine. This single pivot point rotation conveyor is designed to vary the dispersion at the opposite end of the conveyor. Additionally, this single pivot point rotation conveyor still requires the road milling machine to push the milled road particles through the same opening in order to properly place those road milled particles onto the conveyor regardless of the conveyor's location when it is anchored and rotated about a single center pivot point.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,733,086, 5,474,397, 5,219,450, 5,178,253, and 4,560,207 disclose conveyor systems for road milling machines that either do not horizontally vary the location of the conveyor or only rotate the conveyor about a single centrally located pivot point.
As such, what is needed, then, is a horizontally shiftable conveyor system that can be relocated to better align the conveyor entry area to the milling drum of a road milling machine and collect road particles milled by that milling drum. Additionally, what is needed is an opening in the road milling machine that has a cross area that is adjustable to allow the positioning of a shiftable conveyor to better accept milled particles from the drum. The conventional art lacks this horizontally shiftable conveyor system and adjustable opening.